|
|
Home
|
R2 DVD Reviews
|
|
Written by maehara
|
|
Monday, 28 April 2008 16:00 |
 Renton may have had this image of Gekkostate being some cool, otherworldly group who could do no wrong, but life on board the Gekko is teaching him that this crew has a past that they're not particularly proud of - a past that's about to catch up with them...
6 - Childhood
Renton may think that Eureka's adorable, but he's finding her kids considerably less so - they've been torturing him with teasing and pranks, to the point where he's beginning to feel that they've declared war on him, safe in the knowledge that he can't fight back without getting on Eureka's bad side. He'd like to find a way to get to be more friendly with them, but they're just not interested. It's just one reason why life on the Gekko ain't easy for the kid. Another is the eternal quest for money - which is about to bring them into close contact with the military again. The ship is equipped with technology that should shield them from the military's radar - but Eureka's kids accidentally disconnect it, Renton's left to try and cover their tracks...
7 - Absolute Defeat
Renton's week in the brig is over, and he's back to work - although given the job that's been lined up for him, the brig might not seem so bad. H's been chosen to be courier for a very special bowl of ramen. This bowl of ramen isn't just a tasty snack, it's capable of levelling a city (or something like that), so the job calls for discretion, and a cheap disguise for Renton to wear. With preparations complete, it's out into the city to complete the delivery - but you get the distinct impression that the Gekko's adults have carried on where Eureka's kids left off in the prank department. Meanwhile, the military have problems - an unknown unit has eliminated a number of their own units, and they have no idea who might be behind it...
8 - Glorious Brilliance
Renton's idea of the perfect day out: a day in the city with Eureka. Even if shopping is involved, and even if everyone is looking at him after he made the cover of ray=out. The trip quickly turns sour, though, when Eureka's daughter Maeter disappears, and it seems fortunate when a kindly old woman finds her. Holland, meanwhile, has taken on a job he'd rather not have to explain to Renton - so with the boy away from the day, it's the perfect chance to get it done. He's been hired to apprehend a member of rebel group Vodarac - none other than the kindly old woman, who when Holland bursts in is serving tea to Renton and Eureka...
9 - Paper Moon Shine
Ciudades Del Cielo - religious homeland of the Vodarac. A place of purification, and more besides - and somewhere Holland really doesn't want to go, although his current mission leaves him no choice. The longer they stay there, though, the crankier Holland gets, until he takes out some of his frustration on Renton. Feeling unwanted, Renton runs off into a nearby abandoned city - but he soon finds that it's not as empty as it looks. A Vodarac community has made the ruins their home, and Renton's about to learn a few truths that had been hidden from him...
10 - Higher Than the Sun
Holland still has uncomfortable visions of the raid he led on Ciudades Del Cielo - visions that always end with him being killed for his actions. The chance to catch some exceptionally good waves gives him something else to think about, until a piloting error by Talho instead brings them to another place with far too many memories for his liking. Eureka, meanwhile, is feeling that she's losing her connection to the Nirvash, that the mech isn't "hearing" her the way she wants it to - could Renton help her with that as much as she thinks he can, or is he the reason for the problem in the first place..?
The mysteries around Eureka continue - even asking her age doesn't get a straight answer, but this volume at least solves the issue of where the kids came from. Let's just say they're part of her penance for past deeds, and move on from there. The kids themselves also eventually move on from torturing Renton, after he finally proves his worth - so he can get down to the main business of working himself even further into Eureka's affections. The big question there is that, while they're clearly close, does Eureka harbour genuine feelings for Renton, or is she just making use of the way that his presences seems to boost her fighting & piloting abilities? If it's the latter, there could be trouble ahead - but we'll have to wait and see.
The first two episodes here are mostly filler, carrying on the process of showing Renton working his way to becoming an accepted member of the crew - there are one or two scenes slotted in that may have greater significance, but nothing huge. They're both enjoyable enough, although I always feel awkward at the sort of pranks that get played on the kid in episode 7 - my own sensibilities at work there, probably coming from the fact that when I was Renton's age, I was probably just as gullible as he's shown to be here.
Episodes 8 & 9 give the first real indication that there's a larger arc to the story, and dip into the past of the Gekkostate crew - as members of a crack military unit, who had previously been responsible for more than their fair share of death and destruction. Eureka was part of that, too, and it's a past that has come to haunt many of the crew and has led to them seeking some sort of redemption through Gekkostate. How successful they'll be in that remains to be seen - but it does bring home to Renton that he's not playing a game any longer, that LFOs like the Nirvash are machines of war, and that there are consequences if he gets involved in that. I suspect he's too young to really understand that, and that his feelings for Eureka would override any worries if he did, but it adds a darker side to the setting that was definitely needed. The final episode here also digs into the past, and adds in some romantic ties between Holland and Talho - while the series has quite a large cast, there's some effort being made now to give them all enough of a background that you can feel you understand them and where they're coming from, and that's something I'll always appreciate.
Eureka Seven continues to impress me - the good thing about long shows like this is that they can take the time to really build their setting and characters, and this series is taking full advantage of that oppotunity. The end result is still a little slow in places, but thoroughly engrossing and enjoyable. Well worth picking up.
|
|
